CHESHIRE THROUGH TO MCCA KNOCKOUT TROPHY QUARTER-FINALS
By Neil Goulding

CHESHIRE are through to this year's MCCA Knockout Trophy quarter-finals
after an impressive victory against Cumberland on Sunday.
Last year's Lords' finalists needed to win their final qualifying
group match to make sure of their qualification - and they did
so by 14 runs in their re-arranged one-day contest at Marple Cricket
Club.
With Shropshire top of the qualifying group, a defeat for Cheshire
would have seen them bow out before the business end of this year's
tournament.
A draw could have also seen Cheshire ousted on run-rate, but some
spirited batting and some fine bowling made sure last season's
runners-up deservedly progressed.
Heavy rain meant that the match was reduced to 25 overs per side
instead of the scheduled 50 overs - and play only got underway
shortly after 4pm after groundstaff did well to get the pitch
ready for play.
However, Cheshire skipper Andy Hall and his ambitious side batted
well and posted a challenging 152-7 from their allotted overs.
Openers Hall (21) and Danny Leech (26) shared in a opening stand
of 58, before wickets fell at regular intervals.
The hosts were struggling at 99-5, but some useful runs from Jason
Whittaker (25) and Warren Goodwin (24) - who shared in a seventh-wicket
partnership of 48 - and Nathan Dumelow (22) saw Cheshire rack
up a further 53 runs for their next wickets.
Graham Dawson (2-11) and Chris Miller (2-22) were the pick of
Cumberland's bowlers.
In reply the visitors, who themselves could have qualified with
victory, struggled to chase down Cheshire's winning target of
153.
Some tight bowling saw Cumberland limp to 104-8 having earlier
faltered at 59-4 and 96-6. A ninth-wicket stand of 26 runs took
them closer, but it was Cheshire who were always in command.
Bowdon seamer Adam Syddall was Cheshire's star with an impressive
4-23 return from his five overs, while fellow seamer Whittaker
(3-11) and off-spinner Dumelow (2-39) were also in the wickets.
"There was a lot of pressure on us to win the match, so I'm
delighted with the way we played," said Hall. "We had
another mid-innings collapse, but we posted a decent total and
then our bowlers did the damage for us.
"It was a solid team performance. We were disappointment
to lose to Suffolk in last year's final, but we're determined
to get to Lords again and give ourselves another shot at the title."